


Touching Stars

by CourtneyB



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Drinking, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Romance, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 21:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18290258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourtneyB/pseuds/CourtneyB
Summary: For Gochi Week 2019.  Chi-Chi has a bit too many at Goten's wedding.





	Touching Stars

**Author's Note:**

> For Gochi Week 2019, Day 6 prompt: Drinking

Chi-Chi hadn’t meant to drink so much at Goten’s wedding.

The ceremony just made her so _emotional_. Seeing her youngest son, all handsome and grown up in his tuxedo, standing at the altar with Marron, the two of them so obviously in love…it really hit her that he wasn’t her baby anymore.

Not that she wasn’t happy about it. Marron was a wonderful girl, and it was lovely to have Krillin and 18 “officially” be a part of their family. Yet at the reception, all she could think about was how empty the house would be without Goten.

Her sons didn’t need her anymore. They had families of their own. She was all alone now.

Well, not exactly alone. Goku still came home every few weeks on his breaks from training Uub. Which was fine. Really. It took her years to accept that fighting and training was so deep in his nature that he could never give that up, and she’d never ask him to.

It didn’t matter as long as he came back.

Still, didn’t it occur to him how lonely she’d be in between his visits now that Goten moved out? Didn’t he think it might be time to change his routine, just a _little_?

Evidently not. He hadn’t brought up their living situation once in the weeks leading up to the wedding ceremony.

But she refused to spoil the evening with any empty-nest and mid-life crisis feelings. So at the reception hall, she tried to appreciate him being here beside her, holding her hand, dutifully dressed in the nice suit and tie that she knew he hated.

And whenever these dark thoughts floated up in her mind, she forced them down with a drink.

_Nobody needs you anymore_ —one glass of champagne.

_Your father won’t be around forever_ —two glasses.

_You’re getting old and ugly_ —three glasses.

_Someday Goku won’t come back at all. He’ll run off with one of those island girls_ — _four_ glasses.

At first it worked well. Each drink evaporated her insecurities and left her floating. The dancing, the speeches, the cake cutting all went by in a pleasant blur. At some point, Goku was talking to her, and she nodded and smiled, though she couldn’t focus on a single word he said.

Later, random things began to bother her. The lights were too bright. The chairs were too hard. Her pink dress grew itchy. She squirmed and fidgeted, exactly like Goku whenever he was forced to sit still. Kami, this was so _boring_.

She left her family’s table, thinking a walk would help clear her head, but within a few steps, the floor seemed to lurch beneath her feet. She glared at her shoes. Damn high heels. She kicked them off and flung them in the trash.

Then her scalp started to itch. It was those damn barrettes in her hair. Why did she need to wear them? She plucked them out and tossed them out as well. Ah, that was much better. Goku was right, fancy clothes were too uncomfortable…

It wasn’t until she found herself throwing up in the ladies’ room that she dimly realized she might have had a little too much to drink.

***  
Goku searched the reception hall for Chi-Chi. Where had she gone off to? It was almost time for Goten and Marron to leave, and he knew she wouldn’t want to miss that.

“Hey, Goku!” Videl’s voice called out from behind him. He turned around to see her dragging Chi-Chi out of the bathroom. “Give me a hand!”

Relief quickly turned into alarm when he saw how Chi-Chi looked. She was barely able to stand; shoes were gone, her hair a mess, and there was a funny smell coming from her.

“What happened?” he cried, rushing over. “Did someone attack her?”

Videl shook her head. “I think she’s drunk.”

“Drunk?” Goku repeated, shocked. “Chi-Chi doesn’t drink…”

“Well, it looks like she started tonight,” Videl said wryly as the two of them led to her to a nearby couch.

“Not drunk,” Chi-Chi croaked, struggling to sit up. “Just need…air…”

“Maybe it would help if we got her some coffee,” Videl suggested.

“I don’t wanna coffee,” Chi-Chi slurred. “I wanna see my baby….want my little Goten!” She flopped face-first into the armrest and began to cry. “He’s gone! All gone!”

“Honey, it’s all right,” Goku rubbed her back in attempt to calm her down. “Goten’s just down the hall…”

She didn’t seem to hear him. “That little slut is takin’ him away from me!”

“Oh boy,” he muttered. There was no way he could let her say good-bye to Goten in this state. Kami knew what 18 would do if she overheard her calling Marron a slut.

“How many has she _had_?” Videl whispered.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, feeling a twinge of guilt. Should he have been paying more attention to her tonight? He knew she was emotional about Goten getting married, but she’d been just as emotional at Gohan’s wedding and she hadn’t gotten drunk back then.

Chi-Chi dug her face into the cushions. “Everyone leaves me,” she moaned. “Everyone leaves me.”

“Do you think we should get Gohan? Or Ox-King?” Videl asked.

“No, I can handle it,” Goku replied quickly.

“All right, then I’ll watch her while you go say good-bye to Goten—”

“We can’t let anyone else see her like this. Goten will—”

“Goten?” Chi-Chi shot up. “I wanna see Goten!”

Videl tried to restrain her. “Chi-Chi, sit back down.”

“The little slut’s trying to steal my baby!” she screamed, wrenching free of her grip.

Goku blocked her from the doorway. “Chi-Chi, calm down,” he pleaded, putting an arm around her waist. “Goten’s fine. Let’s just go home…”

“Lemme go!” She shoved him hard enough to knock him to the ground. She tried make a break for the door, but he blocked her way. She struck at him again, but he dodged her attack just in time; movements were sloppier than usual in her con. Before he knew it, the two of them were having a full-on sparring match at their son’s wedding.

Under other circumstances, he would have loved this. Though her movements were sloppier than usual, she was still strong enough to keep him on his toes.

That is until she swayed mid-attack, a dazed look in her eye. Goku grabbed by the wrists to steady her. “It’s okay honey, I’ve got you…”

Without warning, she threw up all over his jacket. Then she passed out.

He caught her before she hit the ground. “Oh Chi-Chi…” At least she’d be easier to manage now. He glanced over at an astounded Videl. “Can you help me find her purse?”

***  
Chi-Chi opened her eyes and saw stars twinkling above her. She stared up at them, dazzled. There were so many of them. She reached out to touch one, but they were too far. She was flying, held in warm arms that were pulling her away from them.

The ones below her were closer. If she could just get free, she could grab one. She started to wriggle out of her captor’s grasp. Just a few more inches…

“Stop it!” The arms shifted and suddenly she was hanging upright, looking blearily into Goku’s face. “What’re tryin’ to do, make me drop you?”

She giggled. She couldn’t help it. He just looked so _cute_ , floating there, all worried for her. _So serious!_

“Oh boy,” he sighed, using one hand to squeeze her waist closer to his torso while pushing hair out of her face with the other. “You’re really out of it…”

_Out of it?_ She giggled again. She was no such thing. She was happy, that was all. All the anxiety from earlier were gone, leaving her weightless. And it wasn’t because of the drunks. She always felt so light when Goku carried her like this—so _strong_!—that she swore she could have been made out of bubbles and feathers.

“Look,” she whispered, pointing at the sky with a vague smile. “Can’t you see?”

He blinked. “See what?”

“The stars!” Kami, he was so dense sometimes. Didn’t he see how many there were, how close they were? Didn’t he see how beautiful they were? She’d never flown this high with him before, not even on Nimbus.

“Oh.” He craned his head upward, taking in the sight. “Wow.” He smiled at her. “You’re right. It is pretty amazing.”

He looked so sweet, so handsome. It made her blood rush with desire. She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

It was a perfect moment: kissing him in that sea of stars.

But when she pulled back, she happened to glance downward. The stars were gone, there was only a dark void that seemed to go on. She started to get dizzy. Imagine falling into that…she’d be falling forever. Oh dear, they really were high up. Too high for her inebriated mind to handle. The vertigo overwhelmed her and she passed out again.

Goku couldn’t help laughing. “Yep, you’ve definitely had enough tonight.” He kissed her forehead and took off in the air.

***  
When Chi-Chi woke up the next morning, her head was killing her. She groaned, pulling her hair in front of her face to block out the blazing sunlight.

“Hey.” Goku was sitting beside her on the bed, dressed in his green gi. “How’re you feelin’?"

She could only moan again, rolling on her side. After a few seconds, her blurry gaze was able to focus on a crumpled and stained pile of clothes on the floor—his suit from the previous night.

" _Goku_..." Her hangover was so bad that she couldn’t even muster the strength to yell at him properly. “I told you not to mess up your nice clothes!”

“But you threw up on it,” he pointed out.

“I did? Ugh…” She buried her face in her hands, mortified. “I’m so sorry.” Of course he wouldn’t be sorry; he hated wearing suits and was probably glad for any excuse to get rid of it.

She pushed off the bedsheets and cringed at her wrinkled pink dress and bare feet. Bits and pieces of the other night came rushing back. She’d thrown away her best shoes and her barrettes—both probably long gone by now. Horror clenched her stomach. Dear Kami, what had gotten into her?!

“Here.” Goku held out a cup towards her.

She recoiled back into the pillows. “No! I’m never drinking anything ever again!”

“It’s just tea,” he assured her. “Uub’s mom said it would help.”

“Oh.” She relaxed. Tea was safe enough. And he was right, a few sips did help clear her head a little…

_Wait a minute…_ Uub’s _mom?_

She looked around, startled. Where were they? This wasn’t their bedroom. It was smaller and plainer. Other than the bed, there was hardly any furniture at all. She glanced at the nearby window and was stunned to see the ocean.

“This…this is Uub’s island?”

“Yep.”

She’d never been here before. Usually, he was the one that came back to Mount Pouzu to visit. She didn’t know he had his own place there.

“Why did you bring me here instead of home?” she asked. Not that the idea of him sweeping her off to this island just to take care of her wasn’t appealing. Or something she hadn’t fantasized about once or twice…

He looked confused. “I asked you last night—wait, you don’t remember?”

She shook her head.

“Well…” He rubbed the back of his head, looking suddenly nervous. “I’ve been thinking…with Goten moving out…maybe you could stay here?”

Her heart stopped.

“I mean, I know this cabin’s small, but I could make it bigger,” he went on. “We can still keep our house on Mount Pouzu, if you want…we can stay there whenever I go back to visit. And I know you don’t want to be too far from your dad, but I could instant transmission us there whenever you wanted.” He paused. “So…what do you think?”

She stared at him for a long time. Her eyes filled with tears.

“I think I want to kiss you…but my breath is probably terrible right now.”

He was quick to prove that he didn’t care.  



End file.
